The Sholls – 12 years in Mexico
Barry Steele – on behalf of the Overseas Partners Committee
In early 2009, Pete & Sarah Sholl left Australia with their 3 daughters Karina (9), Lucy (6) and Miriam (4). They were off to Mexico with CMS, supported by Jannali and a number of other link churches.
Pete was to head up a fledgeling ministry called MOCLAM, teaching the Moore College PTC correspondence course in Spanish. MOCLAM had been started by returned missionaries from Chile and Pete was to take on and grow the ministry.
12 years on, God had done amazing things through Pete, Sarah and their girls and the time has come for them to return to Australia. Karina is already back and studying at UNSW. Lucy finishes her schooling shortly and Miriam is about to enter her HSC years.
So what has God been doing these last 12 years?
- The MOCLAM work and team has grown to include CMS missionaries in Bolivia, Peru, Spain and Chile.
- In the absence of good bible colleges, many university student groups, church networks and so on are using the material to train up their leaders. For many of these leaders, MOCLAM is the only training that they have access to.
- For other church leaders, MOCLAM has enabled them to train “on the job” rather than heading off to an american seminary and potentially never returning.
- A time of spectacular growth in Cuba saw the church blossom and most leaders receiving training where previously there had been almost none.
- Many locals leaders have been trained as tutors.
- Home group and women’s ministries in the Sholl’s local church and denomination have been steadily growing. Many younger and older Christians have been trained to lead bible studies.
- Pete & Sarah and the girls have grown in their language skills, understanding of Latin American culture and trust in God.
In all of this, God has not simply been “training” people. Through Pete and Sarah’s work so many people have come to know Him better and been helped to share Him with others.
2 Timothy 2:2 – And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.
Pete & Sarah have worked towards this goal throughout their time in Mexico so that many Christians are now teaching others and growing in their faith as they do so.
The Sholls will be returning to Australia in June and will be with us for deputation towards the end of the year.
Please pray for them as they say their goodbyes and close-out their time in the MOCLAM and home group ministries that they have worked so hard at.